Chompa's mother, Ammi, forbids her daughter to use her powerful, rare finger magic because "it's dangerous, and it's not real power." But when mysterious white men abduct Ammi in the middle of the night, 12-year-old Chompa sets off to save her mother and learn the truth of her own magic. Nazneen Ahmed Pathak's City of Stolen Magic is a middle-grade historical adventure that takes place in a fascinating, well-defined fantasy world.
Chompa had a peaceful existence in her small Indian village, where Ammi made a living writing charms, a form of magic one can learn, even with no djinn ancestry or the ability to speak to djinn. Still, life in mid-19th century India is difficult. The British colonizers "have been very interested in the riches that India has to offer" and said interests are rumored to have expanded to magical people. The proof? Ammi isn't the only person to go missing. Despite her age, Chompa follows the traders' trail to Britain to bring her mother back. As she traverses the globe, Chompa meets other people with powers who teach her the history of their magic and the different forms it takes.
Pathak's debut novel reimagines the British colonization of India in a world where magic is treated as simply another resource to exploit. The author compellingly uses magic to highlight global colonialism, depicting how it affects marginalized and colonized groups outside India. Om Child series illustrator Sandhya Prabhat's black-and-white chapter headings add charm and exciting visuals to Pathak's text. A gutsy protagonist and cliffhanger ending will surely leave readers howling for a sequel. --Kyla Paterno, freelance reviewer